The bill to Amend SPG Act was introduced in the Lok Sabha today amidst a fierce controversy over the removal of Special Protection Group (SPG) given to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi. On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed to amend the SPG Security Act. Under this, now SPG protection will be only for the Prime Minister and those living with him in his residence. The Home Minister said in the Lok Sabha that I have come here with an amendment to the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act. After the amendment, under this Act, SPG protection will be given only to the current Prime Minister and his family members who live officially with him at the Prime Minister's residence.
Shah said that along with any former Prime Minister and his family who live in the government allotted accommodation, they will also get SPG protection for a period of five years. The Home Minister said that the word 'special' has been used for this cover of security. It should ideally be for the Prime Minister. He said that it is not just physical security. Rather, communication between their department, health and others also has to be protected.
At the same time, Congress MP Manish Tiwari said, those receiving SPG protection were told in June that the danger has increased on them. My question is what happened between June and November that SPG protection was removed without amending the law. In response to this, Amit Shah said that an attempt is being made to create such a picture that the government is not concerned about the safety of the Gandhi family and hence SPG security has been lifted. Their security has not been removed but replaced by assessing the threat.
Shah said, I have no hesitation in saying that before this, changes were made for the safety of a family. But this is the first time the law has been changed keeping in view the security of the Prime Minister. Significantly, there has been a lot of uproar since when the Central Government decided that the SPG security would be withdrawn from Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Congress says that the government is compromising their lives.
